Stray Pup
by KateAncharn
Summary: A lone wolf finds himself with no choice but to join up with the people he swore to take down months ago. But living among the eccentric Straw Hats might shed more light on just who these pirates are and what justice truly is.
1. Chapter 1

The hall reeked of luxury and power, and the men behind the closed blinds and doors looked no different. Each was seated, posture impeccable and seeming to puff their chests out slightly, displaying their rank and sizing up those of the same decoration and those higher up to see who was likely to retire soon and which man would likely ascend to his place. Chatter and discussions shot over the small spaces and into the intended target's ears, diplomacy, battle results, and talk of new and rising threats dominating the topics.

"The Stray Dog is getting too unpredictable for us to leave be any longer."

Silence from all about met the remark, and the speaker took the change he was given. "The stray is overstepping boundaries that have been laid down for all Marines to follow, and he even willingly let one of the Warlords be defeated and made attacks, himself! True, the man has been convicted of trying to overthrow a country loyal to the World Government, but he has grown too comfortable defying orders he has been handed."

Agreement soon followed in the speaker's pause, and all seemed to tune in while he resumed. "Sooner or later, he will try to bite the hand feeding him, I'd say. He doesn't understand the necessary tactics that need to be used to keep the world from total war! He twists justice to his own views, and sooner or later, he'll be able to weasel another promotion out of us! His skills are too valuable to be rid of, and he knows it."

The room broke apart into discussion, argument, and solutions to the problem that had been brought up. As they talked, the more they realized just how problematic this particular Marine Captain could be if not snipped down at the bud. Soft-spoken contemplations turned to bellowing matches where every man tried to get his word in and show that he was correct in dealing with the problem.

"Quiet."

A hush settled like a shadow over every man, and they each seemed to bend and yield to the one who they all knew had the greatest rank among them and had enough power to pose the greatest threat. Nothing was worth that risk. Stillness seemed content to stay like frost as they waited for the one who now seemed to be guiding them all by the nose to show them what it was they were to do. This problem was too large, too unknown, to leave be any longer. Who knew when the catastrophe would strike where this Loose Cannon would go off and who it would just so happen to be pointing at when it did?

"How..." the voice rumbled, its tone deep and flowing on a sea of authority. "Are we to be rid of this… Smoker?"

* * *

"Your vaccinations are out of date, Commodore."

The albino gave a slow raise of his brow, seemingly unaffected by the statement. That was it… That was all they were going to talk to him about after practically giving him an order from one of the Fleet Admirals to report to the nearest base and to now move a single millimeter from port until he had been briefed by these specific people. Smoker had thought the system flawed and unnecessarily intricate but this was a whole new level that he wanted to slam his head against the table for seeing.

"The ship's surgeon has made sure every member of my crew has been protected against being infected or becoming a carrier for anything," he grunted, crossing his massive arms while sending out a puff of smoke right into the face leering at him from across the desk. "Take it up with him if he's crap at keeping his records straight."

"No, no, his records are quite clear that one member of your crew has been avoiding even his biannual physicals for quite some time," the officer tisked, setting down the files, again, and clearing his throat slightly. "And this cannot stand, obviously. One would think the leader of his outfit would do better at upholding these standards. If this isn't rectified, then we may have to reassign his whole crew under someone more… responsible with his health.

Smoker was glowering, now. He kept it subtle, but his eyes were tempered daggers digging into the file and into the man who was forcing him to face it. He was livid.

"I will make sure it is taken care of when I return to the ship…" he gritted out, clenching his fist to keep from busting any jaws. "The report will be sent in."

"Oh, we would rather it be taken care of before you land in any other ports." Eyes narrowed in almost a threat. "We wouldn't want any possible health risks loose and threatening the public, now would we? It could cause an uproar and chaos if the public found out there was a possible epidemic coming to their island. Then it might leave them vulnerable to other threats, not to mention you own ship." He motioned towards the door. "We have a perfectly equipped staff right in the building that would be more than willing to attend to this matter as soon as possible…"

That leer felt so much more threatening, now, and the Marine loathed it. They had something, this time, and they didn't look like they were going to let it drop for a second until he took it away from them. He gave a faint sigh under his breath, standing stiffly.

"My crew is equally equipped, thank you…"

"Oh, we insist!" Smoker felt the urge to take a step back. "The staff are preparing to vaccinate the building this week, and it would be a fairly quick stop on the way out of port. Unless, of course, you would prefer to wait while we make sure your ship has the correct and updated vaccines, which could take some time…" The albino clenched his jaw, his bite tightening on his cigars. He didn't have time for them to use that obvious stalling measure. He needed out, but why would they be so eager to get this over with quickly? He didn't have long to make a decision on this…

"Fine. Lead the way, and I will make sure you have nothing to concern yourselves over."


	2. Chapter 2

He felt so dizzy, holding his head in his hands and the room tried to spin. A groan left Smoker's throat as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly. The pounding in his temples and the sides of his head made him want to vomit and wail, but his bit his tongue, trying to remain quiet. It was a blur… They had done that injection and everything melted into a mess of color and aching pain.

'_What did they do?!'_ his mind hissed as the vertigo began to die down, leaving him feeling more capable of movement. He glanced around, taking in the quiet of the room. He was alone and in what felt, looked, and smelled like a cot in the medical wing of the building. The walls of starched, white cotton curtains swooping around the simple bed were gigantic. They made the smoke user question if he was simply on a mattress that had been felt on the floor with how far up they seemed to go. Now that the pain had subsided and stopped fuzzing up the edges of his vision, everything really did seem so big, even when he sat up fully. _'No… no, something is still off.'_

Glancing about once more, the Stray Dog of the Navy started to tug the covers off of his lower body. Maybe just checking himself over would shed some light on this. His limbs felt normal, but they were at a relaxed state and didn't have to do anything. Not a single possible problem could be allowed to be missed.

Smoker sucked in a breath when he finally got the seemingly heavy sheets to move enough to see his own legs. Peeking out from under a loose gown of some kind was a pair of smooth, slightly chubby legs. The toes were tiny and round and the knees smooth and soft. There didn't even look to be the beginnings of leg hair on the pudgy limbs! Just to check and try to disprove his senses, the Marine wiggled his toes. He paled. The little toes he was watching that were certainly not his own mirrored the movements exactly, no matter how many times he did something or how suddenly he changed it up. _'A mirror. I need a mirror! There has to be something reflective in here.'_

Whipping his head about, the albino tried to push the blankets back further to allow himself to get out of the bed more quickly. He had to do this while there wasn't anyone here to try and stop him. His body denied him. The cloth that was usually so simple to remove clinging and wrapping around his struggling legs. He kicked and squirmed. Pulling himself out of the blankets and onto the pillow, panting slightly at the effort. That... was odd. That didn't even include how large the pillow was since he could now get fully onto it without hanging off of the plush item.

Peeking out of the cream curtains, the Marine scanned the room, scoping out what was there for him to use for his current objective. With the coast clear of any possible obstacles, Smoker made up his mind to actually take proper action. Peering over the edge of the bed, though, caused him to pause. It felt like a load of stones and dropped into his stomach. '_It looks so…. So very very far down from up here.'_ A small voice whispered into his ear as he looked over the floor, clinging to the sheets a little.

'_Snap out of it!' _his rational seemed to screech in his ear, the smoke user wincing at how silly it all seemed. '_It's just your perspective, it's not that far.'_ Taking a deep, calming breath, he turned around, intent on lowering himself down onto his feet. The trip was tense and slow. Smoker felt like he had a death grip on the sheets above his head as he eased himself along. He slipped a little, almost shouting out when he fell a little further, but biting his tongue to muffle it. His feet touched the floor, finally, after a short time where it felt like he'd been completely dangling off the side.

The coolness of the tiled floor seemed to shoot up through his feet and spine, coaxing out a shudder as he released the sheets rom his grip and stood on his own. His balance teetered for a moment before the smoke user made himself stand firmly. Huffing, he checked outside the curtains, again, shivering slightly. His feet felt so tender on the cold flooring, and it was driving him up a wall. No one had come in and nothing seemed to have changed… Assured, Smoker left the safely behind the cotton and moved around the whole room.

As he had left the curtains, they shifted and the metal pole was clicked against the rings, making a series of jingles up above him. Smoker's head shot up, his eyes latching to the flickering brass quizzically. The rings twinkled in the light from a cracked open window, tempting him quietly. He found the urge to reach up for the shimmering brass rowing and growing and he-!

'_What am I thinking?!'_ the Marine snapped to himself. They were just normal rings that just so happened to be sparkling, right now. They also made noise, but that was not important! There were much greater things that needed to be done than trying to grab at some simple loops of metal. Determined, the smoke user continued exploring the room that seemed like it had been made for giants for some kind of answer.

Tucked over to one side as a rolling table that had a tray of, most likely, surgical items. Chikao had a tray just like it, except less shiny and more dented up from hitting misbehaving patients from both a Navy and an assortment or pirate crews. No matter, this would do well enough for a mirror. It was just within reach, so if he was careful enough getting it down…

The Marine felt his breath catch, again, when he watched the tray and reached for it. He had to be seeing things, now. There was no way this stubby little hand with uncoordinated fingers could belong to him, but it was just like the legs. It moved exactly as he commanded it to. Desperation made his movements jerky, and he latched onto the tray. _'Now. I need this tray now!'_

His hands took the thought much more literally than intended, and yanked the tray off the table. One side, thankfully, tilted down sooner than the other, and sent the scalpels clattering down just barely to the side instead of on the albino. That was much too close, and the Marine just looked at the sharp blades laying there, letting go of the tray, which also fell with a loud, sudden clang.

Smoker cringed, looking towards the door and standing stock still. What if someone heard that? What if they realized he was up and moving and came in?! A few minutes passed with him in this silent state, but no one came. No one opened the door, at least not yet, so he hurriedly bent to look at himself in the fallen tray's reflection. His body cried mutiny and his balance once again teetered before failing, sending him down onto his hands and knees over the mirror-like surface.

His eyes locked on the image, and Smoker felt everything click into place, no matter how much that place made him want to scream. Large, red eyes darted from feature to feature almost desperately, watering and trying to reason through just what was going on. This couldn't be right! He sat back a little bit so he could use his hands, trying to prove it wasn't. Smoker tugged his own hair, pulled at his own skin, even smacked himself and almost started to cry because of it. A toddler…. They had somehow, for some reason, made him into a toddler! _'Those lowlife-!'_

'Bas'sas!" a high pitched voice shrieked before its owner smacked his hands over his mouth. Was that really his voice?! Had he really ever sounded like this?! Trying again, Smoker watched the child in the mirror while he tried to speak. All he heard was childish babbles and coos, the mouth he was forced to admit was his own matching them perfectly. This…. This was too far. The smoke user thought the World Government had done some pretty low things, but this? As far as offending him personally, this took the whole damn cake shop!

"Hey, did you hear something?" Smoker jumped at the new voice just outside the door, clamping his hands over his mouth tightly. "Sounds like a little kid."

"You're hearing things, Jean. This is a Marine base! There wouldn't be any kids running around here. That pregnant wife of yours is getting to you."

"Are you sure? I swear, it sounded just like-!"

"Jean, listen to me. You need a pint and you need to stop stressing over parenthood. Come on."

"But-! H-hey! We're still on duty, Mark!"

The sound of boots pounding away made Smoker slowly relax; he was still okay. The smoke user huffed, tottering back to his feet and looking around, tugging on the 'gown' they had him in. It was really just an old t-shirt, but it worked just fine. He felt his heart thumping nervously against his ribs as he knotted his hands in the soft fabric some more, a feeling of confusion and fear dropping into the pit of his gut. What was he going to do, now?


	3. Chapter 3

"Is that the last of it?" one Marine called to the other, rubbing his sore back. "These crates are huge!"

"Yeah, that's the last one." The slamming of the back of the truck punctuated the claim as the rows of neatly and uniformly packed boxes were thrown into a quiet darkness. Marines moved about, their muffled voices only just breaking into the back of the loaded truck as they walked to and from posts, checked over the rest of the vehicle, and prepared it fully to travel.

One crate neat the end was filled with tattered white and blue fabric and seemed to be close to overflowing. Very slowly, the cloth moved and a pair of red eyes peeked out. Smoker sighed internally, worming out of the dirty clothes a little bit. '_Figures this is how I'd get out… Throwing myself in with all the crap they don't want,'_ his thoughts growled.

The crates were full of assorted things: torn uniforms that were beyond use, broken equipment, and anything the Navy either couldn't or wouldn't use, anymore. This junk was his ticket out of the base, though, so he didn't mind sharing the space. _'Alright, I'm close to the tailgate. When they stop somewhere, I'll just hop out and hide until they're not paying attention, and I'll be on my way. Simple.'_

Feeling the truck come to life underneath him, the pint-sized Marine ducked back down into the crate, smiling a little in victory. Nothing could stop him from getting out, now. He stilled and held his breath when he felt them stop at the gate to be checked out. Without a hitch at all, the truck was let out and a giggle flitted softly out of a pile of dirty clothes before a small grumble tried to pull it back.

The rumbling of the truck and the cotton bundled about him was rather comfortable, oddly enough. It felt just right…. Smoker snapped at himself, shaking his head and trying to stay fully awake, but this small body wasn't listening as well as his adult one did. It was so fast. One moment he was fully awake and thinking, the next, he could only wonder about how heavy his eyelids felt as he just curled up in the old clothes. So warm…. Cozy…

A sudden splash of sunlight on his face threw the smoke user out of a sweet nap that he hadn't even chosen to take. A soft, childish whine slid out and he fussed, trying to get the bright sunlight out of his face. There were voices talking above him, and he felt a pair of hands quickly scoop him up and bring him out of the cozy crate and into the air and the light.

"Where'd you come from, little guy?" the voice murmured, bouncing him a little bit. Smoker growled; even though it sounded more like a whimper, he insisted to himself it was a growl. The light… There was so much light out here, and it hurt to just have it land on his closed eyelids. He had forgotten how sensitive he had been to sunlight when he was younger. He had heard dozens of stories about a tiny toddler refusing to leave the shaded little spots he had found and wailing every time he was forced from them.

Speaking of which, the toddler found his lungs had gone ahead and started crying rather loudly without alerting the rest of him. He felt tears squeezing out, his body so concentrated on bawling that he was completely still otherwise. Smoker hissed to himself to stop and to calm, but then he felt the sun was still on him and his efforts were for nothing. He was wailing and the man holding him was trying to calm him and having no luck and this was just ridiculous!

"Oh, for Kami's sake, just put the brat down! We have work to do!" one of the others snapped, trying to get the other to move out of the way. "Let the brat keep crying for all I care! Why would he even be in there in the first place?"

"What do I do with him, then?! I can't just put him down!"

"You can and you will!" Smoker cried louder and squirmed when he felt rough, mean hands take a hold of him and pull him from the grip that had actually been okay. "Here! I'll show you! These things are more durable th'n they look!" He didn't like the sound of that. The Marine would never admit to willingly letting himself cry for help, but if one time had to come close to that, this was that time. He screamed and wailed so loud it hurt his chest and made him feel dizzy. Sooner than he'd ever expected, someone seemed to get the drift.

These new hands that tore him from the threatening and unsupporting grip were different than the pair that had first picked him up, and seemed to be a little more careful with him, as well. A pair of thinner and smaller in general hands were supporting him and trying to bring him at least a little comfort. He could still feel catalysts on the pads of fingers and some on the palms, but in all, these were soft, welcoming hands that brought him into a warm, comforting embrace. The albino felt something squish and mold around him a tiny bit when he was held to this chest, and he shyly squinted out to find a bountiful pair of breasts. He could hear this woman's heartbeat against his currently plump cheek, and his wailing calmed some. There was still sun, and at least right now, he wasn't going to be able to stop crying until his eyes stopped hurting and there was nice shade to stay in.

"Leave the kid alone!" the newcomer snapped, cradling him closer as if the other two were acting as a threat. With things as it was, Smoker seconded the reaction, hiding his face in the woman's chest, a little higher than her breasts, and squeezed his eyes closed. Kami, he wanted this over with, now!

"Bug off, lady! It's the kid's fault for pokin' around in places he doesn't belong! He had no business bein' in that truck, so it's his fault if we gotta kick him out of it!" The toddler could feel the body holding him tense up and the heartbeat pick up its pace. "Now scram! A pretty lady like you would be best to stay clean of this side of town. It's dangerous."

The smoke user felt one hand that had been cradling him close to this woman let go of him and reach for something. It was too bright outside, so he didn't even bother to try and look, but he heard sounds like something was being snapped together and then a small breeze, like a staff twirling in front of him. And then the woman spoke.

"You call yourselves Marines?! It's people like you who make me sick!" she snapped, and he heard something odd… It reminded him of bubbles, strangely, and he tentatively peeked out from her chest and over his shoulder. He could see a blue staff with round items on the ends on the areas that liked kind of like connectors. It was kind of familiar…

"Thunder Tempo!"

Before there was even a split second of reaction, bolts of what looked to be lightning came from seemingly nowhere, stroking all around the two which blearily looked to be normal Marine soldiers. Before the attack was even finished, the young woman noticed the tiny boy looking and covered his eyes. Smoker huffed and tried to look around it. He was fully grown….ish… This was nothing comparted to some of the things he'd seen!

"No, sweetie, no…." she hushed, turning and walking around a corner, moving the little Marine from view. "You don't want to see the bad men, anymore, right? They're going to take a little nap, now, and they're going to be very mad at us when they wake up!" That voice sounded…. kind of familiar, too. Laced with sugary sweetness a knot thick, as many did when talking to a small child, but certainly a familiar sound.

'_From where?'_ the albino questioned, finally trying to look up at the one who had saved him from whatever the hell those two idiots had thought to be a good idea to do with a random little toddler they found. His sight was blurry from all this light and the watering of his eyes from both the discomfort and the upsetting experience a few moments ago not assisting, but he got a look at some long, orange hair and two warm, brown eyes before everything snapped and he let out a loud wail, almost willingly. For Smoker, this day could not get any tiny detail worse….

Nami sighed a little, smiling wryly at the tiny babe in her arms and shaking her head a little. "Shh, sweetie, shhhh…. I'm not going to let those mean Marines try to hurt you anymore. Now let's try to get you home after Chopper makes sure you're feeling aaaall better!"


	4. Chapter 4

The sniper could hear the navigator coming before he saw her. Well, he could hear the child she was carrying in her arms crying his lungs out, not Nami, but she was the first thing he spotted. Usopp cocked his brow a little, looking at the pair. Nami was holding onto her patience with the wailing boy, who was rather upset as it was. Once the navigator reached the ship, the child was plopped unceremoniously into the sniper's arms.

"Watch him. I have a migraine, and I don't think I'll be able to stand it without making him more upset," she groaned, rubbing her temples. "I don't even know why he's crying, anymore…" And the red-head was then off without much more of a word about what the boy was doing here or even his name. The kid looked red, terribly so, and was bawling and fussing with all the force his little body had to try and get something.

The crew member felt his hopes to keep working on his weapons on-deck while it was quiet wither up and die. With a calm sigh, the kid was carried down into the men's bunkroom, several small mutters about never having time to himself slipping out. There was always some mischief, some Marines, or an elastic Captain distracting him just long enough that work was hard to get done! Huffing lightly, the sniper forced those aside and set a faint smile on his lips as he glanced the wailing child over. Down here there inside the ship was some nice shade, at least, and the squirming ceased from the boy the second they were within it.

Cocking his brow, Usopp started towards his bunk, anyways. "You tired, little guy?" he murmured, rubbing his back softly. He didn't know why, but the kid just started fussing up a storm, again. He froze, panicking a little and almost turning the boy every which way instead of moving his head to look and see what was up. He rocked and bounced and cooed to the little guy, but nothing worked! He tried lifting up the back of the boy's dirty shirt, and balked at the extremely pale skin he found under it. Come to think of it, they were standing in a patch of sunlight from one of the windows… Finally, something clicked. Two steps backwards and the bawling calmed back down a fraction, again.

"Oh, I get it," the sniper hummed, craning his neck to get a better look at the child's face and grinning. "The light hurting you, little man? Well, never fear! The Great Captain Usopp will save you!" As he struck a small pose, holding the kid gently to himself, the crying stopped very suddenly. Two watery red eyes were just looking at him intently; almost like he'd surprised the kid so much that he didn't know how he should be reacting, now.

With as much fanfare and flourish as he could muster, the sniper fetched some extra sheets and wrapped them around the boy, draping some over his head like a hood. "Now… We need to get something front out there to make you feel all better, okay?" he edged towards the light, feeling the small form suddenly tense up once it noticed. "It's okay… The Great Captain Usopp is here, and such a brave little guy like you can do this, huh?"

The boy sniffled and let out the tiniest of whimpers, tugging the blankets tighter around his face. That was good enough for the sniper, and just to test this a little, he edged into the light, only enough to shine it on the kid. No instant bawling graced his ears, and he gave an encouraging hum before quickly turning and shimmying back on deck. There were complaints from the sunburnt child in his arms, whines and shifts and hidings further into the blankets the majority of it when the sun was back over his head without anything blocking its rays completely.

"I know…" Usopp hummed gently, keeping his pace fast as he moved over the grassy deck, humming and gently rocking the kid to try and keep him relaxed. "We're almost there, now…" The child still didn't seem convinced or pleased. Darting into the sick bay, Usopp snatched up a small tub of ointment and checked it over before hurrying back into the darker bowels of the ship where the kid would be more comfortable.

Hushing the whines with some soothing humming, the pirate got to work, settling the kid down on the chair he had managed to whip up for his workbench down here. He turned on the lamp, but kept it dim to hopefully keep from any more wailing. Slowly, the boy peeked out of the sheets at him, redder than Luffy's usual shirt in this light. Carefully, blanket was separated from boy, something the child didn't seem to like all that much.

"Where's that brave little guy who was out in the sun just a little while ago?" he crooned, the black haired weapons master finally detaching the little fingers from the cloth. "I can't make it stop hurting if I can't see it! The Great Captain Usopp is truly great, but not so magical with making sunburn go away!"

Popping the tub wide open, the sniper scooped out a fair bit onto his fingers and started to rub it into the burnt skin on the child's arm. A soft cry slipped out, and he gently started humming his song about Sogeking to at least try and help the kid pay attention to something other than the sting of being touched. He worked the aloe-smelling stuff all the way up from his fingertips along his arms and into the skin hidden by baggy sleeves to make sure he didn't miss a single spot, using the child's reactions to touch to figure out if he was on normal healthy skin, yet, or not. He dolloped more out to treat the burnt legs and feet, and another hearty scoop for the neck, shoulders, and head. The kid actually seemed to sit still after a while, but there were plenty of scrunched noses and whines when his face was covered with the slimy gunk.

The kid was allowed to huddle back under the blankets after the ointment had a chance to soak in and at least help numb the sting some. Nodding slightly, the pirate pulled out a basket and some old wood that he hadn't found anything to do with. It took a few quick nails and a little fast thinking to keep the kid from slipping away to explore, but he made it work. Usopp threw a tarp that didn't let the sun though onto the structure, nodding to himself when it laid just right.

"Alright, now, little man!" he chuckled, scooping the kid back up, earning a huff and a whine. "I got a great little shady place for you!" he put some extra padding into the bottom of the basket and set the pouting toddler into the little shady spot before picking up the basket. "See? Nice and comfy, and I can get a little work done up in the sun where it's nice and warm. And you can nap!" He booped the little nose before him, chuckling at the tiny giggle he was rewarded with.

The rest of the hour was calm and quiet up on deck. There would occasionally be a chatter or squeak from the boy as he explored the shaded basket and Usopp would keep him the corner of his eye to make sure he was fine as he worked on his newest pop green techniques. Every once and a while, he brought out one of his more entertaining techniques, making fun little things to keep the child happy and in his little basket. Those red eyes had been the size o dinner plates and as excited as most of the crew had been when looking at Franky's newest additions to the ship when the long nosed sniper made a plant pop up that spouted a stream of bubbles right into the shady area so he could play with them instead of just watching. He didn't do anything scary, loud, or sudden enough to frighten back the wails from the albino boy, and after a while, the child was sleeping.

"Nahhh…. That's enough for today!" the sniper hummed, popping his back gently. He glanced over to the boy, smiling gently and scratching his chin. "But what to call you… Can't go around calling you 'little man' all the time, now can I? Until I get your real name, at least..." The pirate thought hard, frowning and tempted to jot down a bunch of names before genius struck. "Yeah… You look like one of those!" he nodded, tucking a blanket around the small body. "Nathenail… That's what I'm calling you."


	5. Chapter 5

He was starting to wonder just how much his sleep schedule had changed… Smoker yawned, curling a little in the cloth loosely swaddled around him as he woke up. He almost didn't want to, a small whine slipping past him in his sleepy daze. There was a brief moment of quiet before he felt the basket rock around him and hushed murmurs, making that happy, sleepy feeling grow stronger, even though he was pretty sure he'd already been out like a light for at least an hour. Or two… It was hard to tell in this shady spot while he was still burrowed deep into the blankets and darkness.

_'No! No, stay alert! Listen and see what's going on!' _ he mentally screeched. _'These are __**pirates**__ if you haven't forgotten! Just think of what they might be planning for you!' _ That, plus the wonderful nap earlier, was enough to help the mini Marine stay awake through the rocking and peel his eyes open a few minutes after it had stopped. This was just ridiculous….

It took a few minutes of wiggling to get free enough to move, and a little bit of crawling to get where he had the best vantage point that was still inside his shaded space. There was light, bit it was dimmer, and it looked to be inside. The walls were smooth and the grain of the wood gave a homey kind of feel to it. The albino child couldn't see much else from his vantage point but the shadows of people on the wall. As far as he could make out, it was the sniper, the pet-no, doctor-, and a female. It was hard to tell the difference between Nico Robin and the navigator on silhouette alone, so waiting for a gesture or voice was all he could go by.

"As I was saying," a high pitched voice sounded, but there was softness to it like it was trying to keep from disturbing something. "Those sunburns were very serious. I'm amazed he didn't suffer from anything else. His eyes seem okay, but I can't tell until he's awake, again."

"Even then, it's not going to be so simple," Usopp sighed, his shadow shoulders rising slightly. "We have no idea what to do with him. I say he's probably an orphan, but this is no place for such a little kid. It's great that he's healing faster than we thought he would, but it's still too dangerous."

"The question is where he would be safest, it seems…" a smooth voice hummed, the female form's head bowing slightly. That was certainly not the navigator's voice.

"I agree, Robin," the short creature nodded, its arms crossing in front of its chest in a way that the smoke user couldn't see clearly. "This is a child, and we need to make sure his best interest is met. " Smoker felt his mood lift ever so slightly. They didn't know it was him. For now, if he acted right, they wouldn't know, and he could get out of here and-!

"Well, an orphanage, at least here, is off the table," Usopp interjected. "This is a summer island, guys. Who would consider adopting a little kid that can't be in sunlight here? It's extra work, extra precautions, extra responsibility that any normal kid they could adopt, instead, wouldn't have."

There were two nods of agreement before Nico Robin spoke, again. "I think that at least until the next island, he can stay. The Marines have yet to detect us, and the log pose will have completely reset within the hour. By the time they mobilize because of Nami's actions, we should be able to get enough distance to be safe at least until the next island."

"It's settled, then!" Usopp hummed curtly, his hands going to his hips. "Nathanial stays!" Smoker made a surprised squeak, his head jerking towards the shadow sniper. How had he done that?! Did they actually know it was him?!

_'No, that's not possible! My personal files couldn't have been leaked to anyone outside the Navy, and even then, no one that would has the clearance to-!'_ his mind panicked. Another squeal left when a pair of hands sprouted from the sides of the basket and gently scooped him up. Passed from hand to hand, the Marine was moved all the way up to the arms of a black-haired young Devil Fruit user.

"How did you come up with that name?" Robin hummed, shifting her hold to try and keep the squirming child from slipping on accident. "It's rather cute on him."

"He just looked like one, ya' know?"

"I can see it." Her smile was gentle and her smooth hands even more so. This… was humiliating. Nico Robin had plucked him off the ground with no effort, and was treating him like a piece of fine fucking china. There was no way this could get worse… "Chopper, some of the burnt skin is peeling off. You were right about him healing fast…"

The little raccoon-deer-doctor padded closer, nodding and looking up at the two. Smoker felt his eyes catch on the wooly coat, and he waved an arm down instantly. His fur looked very soft and warm and fun to play wi- _'Cut that out! I am a Marine! I do not play with some pirate animal's fur!'_ During this lovely distraction, the archeologist , the sniper, and the doctor seemed to reach a decision.

"His skin is probably still very sensitive, so just be careful, alright?" Chopper hummed, smiling. "Just call if you need help! I can take over if he gets too bad, and you know where the ointment is." Robin gave a nod, smiling a little wider. "Usopp, go tell the others that he's staying for now."

"Why do I have to tell them!?"

"Because they'll kill me for not convincing Robin to side with them and put him back! You do it!"

The two kept on shouting at each other, which was a little startling for the toddler, who clung more to Robin on instinct. What the hell was up with this crew?! Why were these three deciding what to do with him!? Now that he was up and out of the basket, he could see that the room was void of any other people, and seemed to be the sick bay of the ship. There was no Captain, not even the navigator who brought him here!

"It's alright, little one…" a smooth voice whispered down to Smoker, and he felt the woman's chest vibrate with her speech. "We didn't know what to do, and everybody was a little upset about it, but it's okay, now. Let's clean you up."

As he was carried out of the room, Smoker cocked his head. 'Cleaned up?' As in… "Bafth?" He blinked, honestly a little glad that he wasn't any younger, or he wouldn't have been able to say even that. Robin looked down at him, chuckling softly before nodding. And so a battle for his dignity, or at least what remained, began.


	6. Chapter 6

Robin never really took the time to compile a list of all the more domestic uses her Devil Fruit provided to her. True, there was a passing thought, but never a serious, thought out discussion on what she could do. Child care, though, would certainly be very close to the top of the list.

After the little albino boy had begun fussing, it had taken another set of arms to keep him from falling or grabbing onto anything he shouldn't. Sighing lightly, Robin entered the bathroom and made sure the door was closed and secure before moving to the tub. Nathanial struggled harder the closer he got, his eyes watering and panicked whines clouding the air.

"Hush," she soothed, stroking his smooth hair as another arm sprouted and began drawing the water. "It's just a little water! Your all covered in dirt, little one, you'll start to itch…" The soft croon did little to calm the boy, but Robin was persistent. She rocked and lightly bounced and promised that he wouldn't get any soap or hair product in his eyes. Eventually, the child wore himself out and just cried as the tub was filled and the dingy shirt was discarded. The archeologist rubbed his back, having another pair of arms move from the tub rim to her own shoulders and begin undressing her. As long as she was careful because of her 'hammer' status, she should be able to bathe.

The water was slightly cooler than she would have personally liked it, but the raven-haired woman didn't mind too heavily. She stepped into the tub before daintily sitting down in the water and setting the boy down on her lap. He squirmed and whimpered, but seemed to have given in enough for her to work.

"See? It's not too hot, is it?"

Gently, Robin scooped water up and wet his skin down. Nathanial squeaked before he wriggled and tried to push away from her hands. She chuckled softly, looking about before a square of fabric caught her eye. Once dunked in the bathwater, the washcloth did the same job as the water with a much warmer reception. Gentle rubbing removed most of the peeling skin, displaying the fresh pink layer to replace it. Even then, she continued over the unburnt areas, giggling a little at how squirmy the child became when she came to his genitals with the warm rag. He seemed so indignant afterwards that it was honestly adorable.

After the water came soap, and her detailed nature did well to make sure that while she wiped up his face that no bubbles were eaten, and nothing got into Nathanial's eyes or nose while his face was still cleaned. He seemed to be cooperating for now, but didn't seem to enjoy having to tilt his face up so she could clean it. Then the cloth returned and rinsed the suds away, with the boy still fussing whenever his pelvis region had to have such attention. His hair was fine and a lovely snowy color after only a little water, so it was left at that for now.

The bottom of the tub was littered with the dead skin that had once clung to the albino tot, and the skin looked a little patchy on the areas where there was still healing to be done, but this was certainly an improvement. "Now," Robin crooned, smoothing Nathanial's hair back. "Do you want to play, little one?" Babbling, the boy waved his arms, flicking little drops of water about. "I'll take that as a yes!"

Nathanial's play seemed to consist mostly of splashing water at either Robin or out of the tub, making a mess. Whoever was stuck on bathroom-cleaning duty this week would be a little upset, but the child couldn't be blamed. He was still too little, yet, but they didn't plan to keep him long enough to be old enough to be held responsible for such things. After a little while of this, the archeologist deemed that the child was clean and had made enough of a mess for tonight, and the plug was pulled.

Thankfully, the boy didn't seem too attached to being in the water and allowed it without a tantrum, if not encouraging that he be taken out of the water. The child didn't seem to move a lot in her arms, now that she was taking him out of the tub, and he mad soft, slightly upset sounds into her moistened shoulder. He was even shaking a little bit! Hushing and humming to the toddler, Robin snatched up a towel and swaddled him up, bouncing him slightly to try and perk up his mood, once more. It took some gentle rubbing in his back and the warm towel to calm him, not to mention a little time.

"There… All better, now. You feel a lot less icky, don't you?" Tilting his head at the question a little, the boy only snuggled more into the towel, pouting. He was much calmer during the drying than he was during the entire bath, laying still and allowing the gentle patting to get all the water off. Wiggling, he sat himself up after the last patch of skin was deemed dry, seemingly done with the bath. After a few precious attempts to get to his feet and totter off, the boy whined and settled for crawling off the towel laid on the dry patch of floor where he had been placed for the task.

"Ah ah, little Nathanial," she crooned, drying herself and turned so the child was within sight. There was a loud shriek and a whine when the arms again sprouted from the floor and settled him back onto the towel. "Your skin needs a little special care, now." The black-haired woman had made a point to make sure everything she needed was here. With her own towel secured, she knelt and laid the tiny albino onto his back, again, and opened up the lotion Chopper had recommended for the child's sensitive skin and the remaining sunburns.

He squeaked and wriggled as it was worked into his skin, a few giggles burbling out, as well, as he was lotion up. The tot was soon done and swiftly bundled up in a blanket. Robin that thought about using another spare shirt to cloth him, but the child was so small, she wasn't sure there were any tiny enough to allow him to move about safely. For now, this would do. Nathanial was calm, peeking about over her shoulder and cooing sweetly as he was settled back down to afford Robin the time she needed to redress.

The mess hall was full to the brim with chatter and loud, boisterous talk by the time Robin strode towards the door, toddler in arm. She rocked him, trying to keep the din from coaxing out more fussing as she opened the door.

"I want him to sit by me! I want his extra meat!"

"Luffy, he's too little to have any meat!"

"OI!"

"Shishishi! Too slow, Usopp!"

"None of you touch Nami-chan's and Robin-swan's plates!"

"Sanji, is the puree done, yet?"

"Yes, Nami-chan~!"

"Shut it, ero-cook."

"Everyone," the archeologist hummed, and the quiet soon followed. Glancing down, she could see how overwhelmed the child looked as he hid in the blankets and in her own shoulder. She rocked him slightly, gliding around to her chair and sitting. After a few minuted of just quiet, the chatter slowly returned to a dull rumble.

"Hey, Robin?" the elastic Captain chuckled, tilting his head and craning it out to try and see the albino better. "Can you sit by me? I wanna see him better! Usopp barely let me see 'im before we started voting!" Luffy pouted, even pausing in his eating to ask. Slowly, Robin nodded, her smile soft. She switched her chairs about and settled so Luffy was able to see the boy clearly. Chuckling, the Captain poked and chattered at the toddler, who seemed a little reluctant to join in.

"You know I like you!" the rubbery man said at one point, which seemed a little odd, but it seemed to stun the child for a spilt second before it relaxed and babbled back, patting the other's nose. Before finally eating the mashed bananas that was being provided, the child let out a loud squeal, one that make Luffy grin wider and laugh pleasantly.

"Swah hat!"


	7. Chapter 7

She had bathed him… She had sat down and robbed him of his dignity _three times._ Every night, either before dinner or soon after, Nico Robin would taking him, squirming and shrieking, up to the bathroom and rub him clean with a washcloth and not miss a single area. Then it was an oversized t-shirt and make-shift cloth diapers that chafed to hell and back he had to look forward to because his bladder was conspiring against him! It was humiliating…

Smoker thought this over quietly in the back of his head as he tottered about the little penned off area the Straw Hats had confined him to. It was hastily made, but not shoddy, standing up to twice his height and weight, at least, and there were no splinters or spots that he could pry open and squeeze out of. They were smart enough to have it inside, as well, and somewhere in the belly of the ship so there were stairs and ladders that needed to be scaled before the mini Marine could reach the deck. The lack of sunlight hurting his eyes was nice, but this put a real damper on getting away from these pirates and figuring out how to fix this problem.

Whining softly, he plopped down onto one of the several blankets they had lining the bottom and crossed his arms. This was so unfair. Nine fully sized adults against one adult who has been turned into a toddler wasn't even a fight! Smoker was so focused on the problem at hand and how frustrating that he didn't hear the door creaking open and someone stepping in.

"Heeeeeeeeey!" a chipper voice cheered, popping over the fence and surprising the albino tot enough that he flopped back onto a nearby pile of pillows. "Shishishi! You're jumpy like this!" Luffy grinned wide, dangling over the sturdy fence and hanging his face right before the smoke user. The rubbery Captain had been making a habit out of this.

Smoker knew he'd been observed since that first mealtime, and rather obviously, too. He would peek over shoulders, insist he be allowed to hold him, and even feed him since his uncoordinated limbs were too skilled at spilling food everywhere and holding spoons upside-down. He swore their chief, Black Leg, had almost popped a blood vessel the first time he'd done it and every consecutive time afterwards until he had been forbidden from feeding himself for the duration of his stay here, which they all planned to be as short as possible.

"Swah Hat!" the toddler squeaked, reaching out and grabbing onto his cheeks, watching them stretch. "Swah Hat ba! Bababababababa!" Straw Hat only giggled and let him do as he wished before pulling away quickly enough that he had to let go.

"Don't be so grouchy!" the teen grinned, hopping into the area fully, now, and poking at his toes. "Come on, Hammer, smile! I know you can!"

Holding in a giggle and pulling his feet away, Smoker scowled as hard as he could, which was just a really deep pout at this point. This, though, was the most aggravating part of his imprisonment of all. Luffy, somehow, knew it was him. He hadn't outright called him 'Smoker' or some close derivative, but had taken to calling him 'Hammer' instead of the name that had been chosen for him. He spoke to him like he knew he could understand what the words coming from his mouth meant and just didn't want to reply instead of like he was a one-year-old who didn't understand complex language very well.

"Why won't you smile?" the rubber pirate whined, interrupting the Marine's thoughts yet again. He was rather good at that… "Come ooooooon! I won't even tell my namaka! Pleeeeease?" There was more poking at the conventionally ticklish spots, and holding in the squeals of laughter was getting harder and harder as the raven headed boy consistently contorted his way through any defenses.

He couldn't hold up under the repeated pokes and tickles, and a tiny smile took up as face as a few peals of laughter slipped out. Smiling victoriously, Luffy allowed him a little more space, but stayed right there in front of the smoke user, still. Once the tremors of possible laughter went away, the toddler glowered his best at that annoyance before him.

"Don't look so mad," Luffy hummed, cocking his head. "It looks weird. Hey! Is that why you're always so grumpy? Your face froze like that forever because you frowned so much as a kid? That'd suck." Giggling at his own little theory, Straw Hat looked back at the albino.

"Twickle no no," Smoker insisted with a whine, by now giving up on caring that his voice was so squeaky and his sentences broken. "Bah twickle…"

"Aw, but it's fun! I never get to see you do more than glare and stuff, and it's boring. I wanted to make sure you could actually smile at all! The crew even has a bet going on whether or not you can!" the brat snickered, rocking slightly. "Well, all grown up you… Shishishi! They'd freak out if they knew about this!"

Smoker wined at the fun the brat was having at his expense, wriggling so he was no longer facing the rubber idiot. He didn't have to take this! That is, he didn't have to take this until Luffy picked him up, turned him around, and set him down onto his lap. There was no escape unless he was willing to bawl loud enough for one of the other crew members to chase the Captain off. He may be desperate, but not that desperate.

"I thought you'd be funner as a kid!" the raven haired teen pouted, scratching his head for a moment before nodding to himself. "Let's go on a tour of the ship! That'll be fun!" Before the albino child could retaliate, he was up in the air and had something plopped on her head to keep the sun off. The worn, rough yellow straw was so familiar, and when he peeked out from under it to see Straw Hat's head bare, he quieted down completely. "Now, this hat is really important to me… Be careful with it whenever we have to go outside."

They were soon off, a chipper young voice spouting something out every second or so as its owner darted through and over the ship at high speed. The rooms that the smoke user had already seen were briefly covered, a few tidbits thrown in like odd things that had happened or comments about the random crew members they found inside them. Roronoa was sleeping, Nico Robin reading, the sniper was fishing and almost got scared over the side of the ship, and the… the skeleton was playing the violin in the crow's nest… He was starting to see why Luffy was so had to predict in anything but where to find him.

The tour ended in the room Luffy claimed to be his second favorite indoor one, right behind the meat locker. Large glass panes circles about , encasing the bar area in water and a lively smattering of sea life. Fish of many colors, sizes, and temperaments made their way in lazy arcs and excited zigzags through the clear tank. In his current state, Smoker couldn't help but coo and wave at the creatures, reaching for the glass when one lovely red fish swam past.

The red was vibrant and fiery, the slim fish weaving in and out of sight. It's fins looked tattered, battle worn, almost, and even more like flames once matched with the oranges, red, and faint traces of blue. It tickled at the back of his head as Luffy sat down on the plush red seats and settled him down beside him and the fish slid off to another corner of the tank, out of sight.

"Pretty awesome, right?" the young pirate chuckled, his smile wide. "Franky's pretty great, and his dream ship is the best!" He chuckled loudly, flopping back. Curious, the tot crawled closer and even up onto his chest, looking down into his eyes and batting his face as hard as he could. "What?"

"Homm…" Smoker chattered, patting his cheeks, again. "Wan' big. No widdle." The pirate slowly grinned, again, sitting back up. He was careful enough to shift Smoker back down off his chest and settled back on his lap.

"Mahhh… Well, there's an island that Nami said we'd get to tomorrow," he hummed, tilting his head again. "After we have some adventures there, I bet we could find someplace you wanna be! That work?"

This was an interesting opportunity. It was unknown. He didn't know which island this would be, what was there, nothing. Getting back to his crew, his normal biological age, his life… He had no idea how it would work from there! But… it would be off this ship and away from these pirates. Giving as un-adorable a sound as possible, the Marine nodded. He would have to wait for the best… There was no way it would be here on this ship, that he knew.


	8. Chapter 8

"Why do I have to watch the kid?"

"Because, Zoro, the rest of us are a little too busy, and we need to get a lot of different supplies here in port." Nami huffed, arms crossed over her chest. "Everyone else has something they need to buy or do, and those who don't aren't careful enough with a toddler! Besides, you do a good job, and I'll take 10% off your debt." The green-haired swordsman glowered, still.

"It's because of what happened in in Water 7 with those three babies, isn't it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Zoro~! Now, keep Nathanial safe or your debt triples~! We'll come get him when we find a nice place for him to stay!" the navigator giggled, prancing off down the street. Zoro felt his eyes twitch before looking down at the bundle of pudge he was being forced to watch. The albino child looked after the red head, as well, his expression looking just as confused and irate as his own.

"You don't get it, either, do you?" the swordsman muttered, rolling his eyes and huffing, plopping himself down. He was a little more careful settling the babe down on his lap, frowning. "Don't worry, we don't, either…" The boy pouted and wiggled a little bit, tugging on the weird thing Usopp had made to keep him out of direct sunlight. It was a headband with a large, but light, umbrella attached, which covered the area around the tot pretty well, though it looked rather… odd.

"Hat nono…" the child whined loudly after a moment, still trying to take the thing off and seeming more upset by the minute. He relented, taking the thing off before plopping a sheet over him, instead. He couldn't have the brat getting burned…

"Look, I'm going to nap, and you're going to stay put. You can nap, you can slobber all over yourself, I don't really care as long as you don't go anywhere, got it?" Zoro looked the kid over, not expecting a response. When the toddler didn't seem to make a move except to settle more comfortably and yawn, he closed his eyes and relaxed. Sleep came quickly, as usual, and the swordsman didn't mind that one bit…

Was it just him, or did the sun turn off? The green-haired male brushed a hand through his hair as he yawned and peered up at the sky from his favorite nap spot. With the sky so overcast, it was hard to tell where the sun even was, anymore.

_'Well, that should make the kid happy, ri-'_

Zoro froze, his eyes slowly dropping down to his lap. The sheet was there, but… "Oh no…. That little _shit!_" Throwing the blanket up showed that the toddler was nowhere under it, and the first mate was soon up and scrambling about the ship. "Kami, please tell me he didn't fall overboard!"

He burst down the hatch, sprinting up and down the men's bunks and shouting at the top of his lungs for the little boy, keeping his eyes peeled for any little lump or tuft of white hair. He even thought about overturning and emptying the bunks when his first several laps through the room proved fruitless. Then again, it didn't make sense for the little kid to hide some of the placed that would reveal, and they would just make him clean it back up, again. The brat wasn't worth it.

He scoured the rest of the ship that the toddler could actually reach, cursing as fewer and fewer spots remained and he still was nowhere in sight. Nathanial wasn't this slippery before! Finally, the last room that wasn't locked or too hard for a small boy to open was cleared, and the swordsman almost slumped down.

"Damnit! Where did he go!?" The ex-pirate-hunter growled, storming back onto the deck and glaring over the side of the ship. "It's not like he just wandered off into port or something…." He glowered, glancing around deck just to make sure he hadn't missed anything in his hurry to find the boy. Then he saw it. Right in the middle of the plank leading down to port was a small tattered piece of the shirt Robin had put the kid in, today.

"Oh no…." Zoro muttered, slowly looking down the gangplank. "No no no. He did not." Charging down the wooden catwalk, the swordsman felt like his very bones were boiling. He peeled his eyes from the end of dock, teeth gritting as he caught yet another clue. He darted towards it, mind clicking at a knot a minute as he put it all together.

"I can't believe the brat wandered off on me!" he growled, skidding to a stop before the proof Nathanial had been this way. The diaper may not be filled with anything, but it was definitely one of the swordsman's old shirts that had long become common rag material on the ship. Robin used the spare rags for diapers since they didn't really have anything else to use and forgoing a diaper was just insane, even for them. "That little-!"

Thunder struck down the rest of his words, and Zoro glared up at the heavens. The gloom had thickened and stirred, streaking the sky with flashes of bright lightning and tumultuous clouds. It didn't take Nami's intimate knowledge of weather to figure out what would be coming next. By the looked off the clouds, it wouldn't be a quick shower, either. And Nathanial would be out in it, based on the act that he was wandering not towards town, but towards a untamed area outside of it. This was what they got for docking near the end of the wharf, he guessed, since pirates weren't entirely welcome in most places.

"The kid's got to be freaking out by now…" Zoro sighed, feeling his rage drain away and leave a puddle of worry in its place. It wasn't like he especially cared for the twerp, but Luffy….

His Captain and best friend was absolutely crazy about the little guy. How could he face the rubber man knowing that he'd just let something the other had deemed important and something to be preserved wander into harm's way? Besides… the kid probably didn't really know what he was doing, running of like that. This was, most likely, just like a game for Nathanial. Well, it had been.

The feel of rain starting to patter on his head snapped Zoro back, and he started jogging along, his vision sharp and looking for any trace of white. Nathanial had to be around here, somewhere, and the soon to be Greatest Swordsman in the World wasn't leaving without him! Biting the bullet and forgoing another nap, the swordsman got to work, serious this time.

"You better not have gotten too far, or we'll both be in trouble by the time we get back."


	9. Chapter 9

Maybe this had been a bad idea after all… Sure, he was away from the Straw Hat crew, but now the weather was content to ruin it for the mini Marine. The rain was here, and there was no shelter, no warmth… just cold rain, bitter winds, and a growing sense that he was hopelessly lost. Smoker let his eyes dart from one side of the path to the other, trying to blink the rainwater from his eyes and see clearly. It flooded in so fast that the world was a gray and dark brown blur to him.

This was bad. The smoke user knew that far too well. He was physically too young to handle this! Okay… Shelter. He had to find shelter, quickly. Goal in mind, the toddler was padding off as fast as his chubby legs would take him without falling over.

The albino checked in bushes, under trees, anyplace he could find where the rain might be lessened. His attempts left him more and more wet and distraught than the last. The wind made it impossible for the trees to shelter enough, droplets trickling down from the leaves or pounding from the sky leaving nothing dry. Bushes were not much better, and were, for the most part, pointy and scratching. There weren't any scratches bad enough to really bleed anywhere, but the little red lines were tender and upsetting for the tiny body.

Everything kept building up and the pressure was becoming more than he could bear. He was too cold, too scared, and too… Too helpless. The word shot through the smoke user's head like the hefty dose of reality that it was. _Helpless…. _

'_No! Nonono! I am not! I can take care of myself! I am not helpless!'_ Smoker's mind shouted. _'I am a Marine! I am a man, and I have taken care of myself since I was young, and I can take care of myself, now! I-I….I am okay. I will be able to take care of… myself….'_

His confidence shattered in this tiny body the smoke user was trapped in, still trying to fight it, but the internal fire fading. He was lost. He was soaked. He was scared. He… needed help. In all his adult life, that was one statement that he never ever wanted to even think, let alone admit to himself. Sure… he had needed a little help in Alabasta, but that didn't count! He hadn't asked for that, and they had squared that off by the fact he didn't arrest the twerps. This… dependency, though, was frightening.

The emotional state finally took its toll, and the albino child found himself standing, shaking in the middle of the road, and crying. I was all he could do. If help didn't come from anyone who passed close enough to hear him, than he was doomed. And what if the Straw Hat's found him, again? What would they do to him? The risk was better than this chilling place, and so resigned, he kept crying out.

Smoker lost track of how long he was standing there, screaming for someone to give him attention before some actually came. One moment, he was standing in a steadily growing puddle of mud, and then he was up in someone's arms, pressed to a tanned, bumpy chest by two arms that felt stronger than tree trunks. More importantly, though, there was heat, security… the slight smell of booze, but only slight, and it was on the body, not the breath.

"There you are," the voice rumbled, familiar. "You have no idea how upset everyone's going to be when I bring up back like this. You'll probably scare them half to death with worry. Roronoa seemed a lot less… angry then he'd thought he'd be. At worst, he sounded mildly irritated, but more at the weather than the tiny albino. "Come on, now. Somebody's got to be back at the Sunny by now."

Smoker gave a soft mumble, just cuddling closer. He didn't mind the scared skin, and Roronoa didn't seem to mind it being touched. If anything, it felt like the green cloth framing the swordsman's chest was shifted to wrap around his soaking body and his small legs and hips were tucked into his haramaki so only one hand was needed to hold him and he was semi-comfortable. "Shit… I'm never going to hear the end of this if you're sick."

Sick? No… Smoker's mind swam with confusion at the thought. He hadn't been sick in years; his immune system was strong, and the added help of his Devil Fruit had aided it to become almost impenetrable. He knew his fruit was still working with him, even though he had no control over it. How else had his sunburn healed so quickly? And he hadn't been out in the rain too long, had he? No… he was simply cold… And tired. Nothing he couldn't handle!

He couldn't really complain about it, though. He was being given extra warmth and Roronoa's fingers, though a little rough, were rather careful with him and the rubbing along his spine was very relaxing. In other words, he just snuggled, putting aside a little of his broken pride for a minute to warm up.

The ex-pirate-hunter started walking in some direction, but since Smoker had been lost before the other had come along, he wasn't sure I it was the right one or not. He just knew the sooner they were out of this rain, the better. Closing his eyes lightly, the albino child waited for either the weather to leave this area be or for the sound of the swelling waved breaking on a dock. Either one would be a sign that he would be dry, soon. It took a long while before the toddler realized they were wandering, Zoro just as lost as he had been. In the end, a local came around and showed him the way, which Smoker was honestly surprised the green-haired directionless mass could follow. Once out of the forest, though, he seemed to get to the dock and then their ship without problem.

Everything got a little fuzzy when they got back to the ship. Someone was there, but… it was hard to remember who. Either way, he was handed from one person to the next several times, each one either rubbing him off with a fluffy warm towel, forcing him back into a diaper, or changing him into a huge shirt he could swim and then swaddling him in blankets.

Part-way through this, he must had fallen asleep, because the next thing he could remember was being rocked gently in the navigator's arms. He let out a tiny whimper, the heat under all these blankets feeling far too much. Where they trying to suffocate him or something? There also felt to be something stuck on his forehead, and he tried to poke a hand out and be rid of it.

"No, no, sweetie…" the red-head murmured, hushing him and gingerly guiding his hand away and back into the bundle. "Chopper needs that to stay there, okay? We need to make sure you're not running too high a fever. Shhh… You're going to feel better, soon." This was going to be a long night.


	10. Chapter 10

Nami let out a soft sigh when the babe in her arms fussed, yet again, trying to take of the temperature patch on his head. Once again, she coed and tried to distract him from it and tucked his hands back under the blankets. Nathanial whined and pouted, but tiredly settled back down into her soothing rubbing.

"What does it read, now?" the little reindeer chittered from another area of the room, hovering over his medical books and a few other things that the red-head couldn't identify.

"Not much higher than it was an hour ago," she hummed, softly brushing small tufts o hair from the child's face so she could see it better. The poor darling's face was hot and red and he was rather upset about this whole thing. "Are you sure we don't have anything we can give him? He's really uncomfortable, and I don't like seeing him like this if we can help. He's… too little to have to go through this." She pressed a soft peck to the top of his head.

"We don't have anything safe for a kid this little, Nami," the doctor sighed softly. "But I might be able to use the supplies we have to make something, if we're lucky. Keep his calm for just a little longer." Receiving a curt nod from the red-head, the reindeer got right back to work. He tuned out the other tantrums the young one had, studying and mixing and testing to get just the right balance. Finally, buy the time Nami had gotten the little one to fall asleep, Chopper sighed and straightened from hovering over his little desk.

"Is it..?"

"Yes. We can give him a little of it when he wakes to help his fever and hopefully sooth a few other things," he smiled, tottering over and petting the tuft of hair that was still peeking through the blanket. "He needs his rest."

It had been several days since that accident, and the mess hall was full of chatter and life. The Crew was seated about in their normal spots, and Usopp had fixed up a high-chair for the tot so Robin could have her arms free. True, she could grow another set, but she enjoyed the freedom, anyway. As everyone was cleaning up, though, Nami stood and cleared her throat.

"Everyone! I have a few things to discuss now that we've left port!" she chimed, glancing from one to another. "After we left _someone_ in charge of Nathanial and we had a little mishap, and there were several new rules because of it." The albino boy perked up a little at this, his large eyes locked on the navigator, even when he was taken from the high chair and settled into his play pen that they had moved up in here so that he could play if he finished eating before everyone.

"To start… Zoro is no longer allowed to watch Nathanial on his own unless the boy was attached to a harness which was then attached to the swordsman, okay?"

"Hey!"

"Shut it, Mosshead!" The two looked ready to clash, as usual, but a loud shriek for the play pen and a stern look from several crew members stalled it, at least. "It was your fault he got sick and that we couldn't leave him in the orphanage's care…"

"Thank you, Sanji~!" Nami cooed before continuing over the whining toddler. "Number two. Nathanial is not to be left alone, anymore. Even in his play pen, you hear! He's getting to that age where he's going to want t move around a lot, so it's just to us to keep him entertained in this smaller space. Now, so most of what you do is slack around, you're going to be watching him, Zo-!"

"I'll watch him! Pick me, pick me!" Luffy burst out, bouncing right up onto his feet and waving his arms in Nami's face. The green-headed alcoholic couldn't help a tiny sigh in relief.

"Luffy! You're not good with kids!" their navigator groaned.

"Am too! See?" As expected, the rubber captain hopped over to the playpen and picked Nathanial up, beaming like the sun. The boy wiggled and fussed for a few moments before settling, pouting as he stretched Luffy's nose and cheeks with his tiny hands, much to the pirate's amusement. "Told ya!"

"But Luffy, you're not…"

"I think he can be trusted, Nami-san," Robin cut in smoothly, gently resting a hand on Nami's shoulder. "He wouldn't let him be hurt, and he would certainly be entertained, more so than with most of the rest of us who have time on our hands to watch him."

"Yeah, Nami," Franky added, sitting up a little and sipping his cola. "Sure, Usopp-bro and I could make stuff to keep him entertained, but this way, both of these balls of energy are out of our hair. I could make a lot of _super_ progress with a little more time in the day to work with our sniper!"

One by one, the rest of the crew backed Luffy up.

"Can't hurt to give the dolt some responsibility… He might stop raiding the fridge."

"Yohohoho! I'd trust Luffy with the boy down to my bones! Skull joke~!"

"What's the worst that could happen? Besides, he can come ask the Great Usopp if he really needs help!"

Then even the pouting boy in his arms. "Wan' Stwah Ha'!"

Nami gave a loud, exasperated groan, her head falling into her hands. "Fine! But you better take good care of him, Luffy! He's too young for the adventured you usually go on, so I expect you to think about him before randomly dragging us all into danger!"

"Don't sweat it!" chuckled Luffy, his head cocking before he held the toddler out and looked him in the eye. "Lil Hammer's pretty smart! He trust me, so I know he's not gonna let himself get hurt!" The boy pouted, babbling and swatting at the pirate captain for a moment. "Aw, don't be like that! You're going to be strong, but you're not there, yet! Now c'mon! I think there are some Neptunians swimming next to the ship! You gotta see 'em!" He was off like a bullet out of the mess hall.

"Here we go, again…"

"_**LUFFY!**_"


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Sorry this one was a little late... Like, 45 minutes til midnight late... ENJOY!

Smoker was honestly amazed that Straw Hat was still allowed to watch him after he had been held over the side of the ship like that… Not that he hadn't enjoyed the view when he wasn't thinking about the deep, suffocation ocean water underneath him, but still! Either way, the rubber man brat was there almost every waking hour, either entertaining him, making the pen more interesting, or just talking to him about his crew.

"Come on, kid! Sit still!" the swordsman grumbled down to him, but Smoker continued his resistance. "They're even the disposable ones that we don't need to clean and don't chafe!"

"NO! Di'pah bad!" the marine insisted, kicking his legs and rolling yet again away from the grabbing hands. He didn't care that he was naked, anymore, he was not wearing _that_! He allowed cleaning up because having that literal crap down there was disgusting, but no more of this! The epic battle continued for a good thirty seconds before the smoke user misjudged the way Roronoa was going to try and grab at him and practically rolled into his grasp.

"Finally!" The green-haired pirate wasted little time securing the flailing legs into the proper holes and securing the diaper in place. _'Damn….' _Smoker hissed inside his head, whining and crossing his arms at the swordsman's triumphant smirking.

"Oi, Zoro!" another familiar voice called before waltzing into the kitchen, holding something behind his back. The long nose was unmistakable. "Is little Nathenial behaving?"

"Eh…" Roronoa shrugged, huffing. "I wouldn't want to be changed, either, if it ment having to feel that come out of me. What's ero-cook been feeding him, anyway?" Smoker let himself smirk internally at that. Suffering this humiliation was almost worth the ability to get under these pirates' skin. The best part was that they wouldn't fight back. Worst he had gotten was a light spat on his thigh for being resistant during bath time, still under Nico Robin's hawk-like care. It had been fine, though, after the initial sting, even though his body had kept crying until he had been brought down to Chopper for his nighty once-over. They had been giving him one ever since he get a tiny bit sunburned, again, on his face.

It was strange. They seemed very, very careful with him and light. Light was something he couldn't have in large amounts, but still. He was pulled away from his musings at the feel of cloth being tugged over his head. Squeaking in surprise, the smoke user wiggled and tried to push it away.

"Hold still, now… Almost…! There!" Usopp hummed, smiling down at him as his head of white tufts popped out of the hole. "Took a lot of digging through our old shirts, but we finally got some clothes just for you, little man! Like it?" The shirt was… Simple. Not cutesy, not really much more than recycled fabric with normal patterns cut up and made to fit a toddler. Begrudgingly, Smoker allowed himself to give a tiny smile and a nod, a giggle slipping out involuntarily when he was tickled for them.

"Alright! Let's go out and see Luffy~!" Long-Nose cheered, swinging the Marine up in the air before holding him stably and carrying him out to the play pen. "Franky and I got a nice big umbrella together so you can be out here will all of us without getting those uncomfortable burns." With a small giggle, Smoker found himself seated on the cool grass of the deck with a familiar 'play-mate' sitting eagerly for his arrival.

"Hammer!"

His time was quickly eaten up by the bouncing rubber nuisance, and Smoker could find no peace to think about more than the childish things his current form was favoring until a fit of drowsiness knocked the brat out. Babbling to himself in contentment, he settled down against Straw Hat's side, enjoying the way the rubber gave just enough to be comfortable.

These couple weeks had been enlightening, really. The whole crew ended up pitching in at least a little, the more the Marine pondered, so he learned at least a little bit about everybody. Very vaguely, he remembered some nights where he was lulled to sleep by a violin and a soft crooning of the skeleton's voice. The playpen, highchair, and the small shade basket had all been made by either the large robotic man or the sniper, who also supplied clothes. Nico Robin bathed, the navigator tried to teach him things that any child needed to learn, Roronoa was stuck on perpetual diaper duty, the cook ended up feeding him during meals, the reindeer-raccoon thing took care of any little bumps, bruises, or sunburns, and this one…. Straw Hat was his 'babysitter'/entertainer. He should be learning so many ways to take them down once he was back to normal!

A flicker of guilt came up at that thought, and Smoker understood why. He owed them, after this. He owed them more times than he felt he could repay them for! They may not know it was him, excluding their Captain, but the emotion lingered. The Marine in him snapped at the thought.

'_They're all pirates, and I'm a Marine. It's my job to fight them and stop them from causing anymore havoc!'_ he reminded himself, nodding softly. _'It's just the way things are, nothing personal… But then, in Alabastar-!' _This was much more confusing than it should be. His own personal thoughts of Justice were completely conflicting, and in the end, it tired him out.

A warm, firm hand looped over him, and the little Marine had a feeling that Straw Hat had woken up. There wasn't the usual shout or sudden jump that usually announced it; there was an arm cradling him close to the warm body like an invitation to rest.

"I know you're not a bad guy," Straw hat murmured, seeming to have been thinking about this. The serious tone sent a tiny shudder up Smoker's spine, but he stayed calm, eyelids drooping. "When you get better, you're going to go back to chasing us, again. And that's okay! It's kind of fun that way…" Smoker didn't pretend to understand what the rubber-headed dolt found 'fun' about being a law-breaking fool, but the words were… helpful.

A tiny sound between he coo and a whine slid out as Smoker settled into the hold. For now, he would lay in wait for his return to full size. He could wait. Something about the straw hat wearing idiot assured him of that with some kind of undeniable certainty. The guilt, for now, eased away, and his toddler form insisted that his enemy's chest was comfortable enough and safe enough to fall asleep on. It was... unprecedented in both action and reason, but later that evening, when he woke up still held calmly by Monkey D. Luffy, he found it to be rather true.


	12. Chapter 12

"Luffy! Don't bring him with us, it's dangerous!" the navigator screeched, only able to glance away from the oncoming attack for a brief moment. "Put Nathanial back inside with Chopper!" The Captain chuckled and continued smacking men overboard with his usual smile. What was not usual, however, was the cooing tot strapped to his chest and watching the whole thing rather happily.

Every time a rival pirate member got knocked off into the water or thrown back onto their own ship, the albino boy gave a loud shriek of joy, clapping and waving his arms. Luffy seemed to encourage it with a shout of his own before going on to the next fighter. As usual, the rubber man just rocketed about, going where the battle seemed roughest and in most need for a few enemies being taken care of. That is, until his own spot needed his attention most desperately, again, and he eagerly scooted back into place.

"I'm strong enough! He's gonna be just fine!"

Luffy seemed rather confident, at least, and so far, correct. No one was getting close enough to touch him, let alone the bundle looped against his chest. Happy cries and coos bubbled over to the rest of the crew close enough to hear over the clash of swords. All at once, though, the rubber boy seemed to pause for a moment, as did the group of fighters around him. Nathanial, however, let out a happy squeak, seeming rather pleased with the stillness. The sound suddenly triggered something in their usual playful Captain to suddenly boost to Gear Second and knock half the rival crew off the side of the ship and almost take out the railing in the process.

Whatever this was, Luffy apparently wanted these guys gone; what the Captain wanted, he still got, after all. These goons weren't that hard to beat; there were just so many of them it became cumbersome. In the end, though, they were still not that difficult to get off the ship and leave in the wake of a Coup do Burst. As usual, there was the checking over of the ship for damage, making sure everything important was accounted for, and the usual brief celebration of victory.

"Luffy, what happened?" The navigator finally hummed, eyes slightly narrowed. She had been taking this role of 'parent' very seriously in consideration to the little albino, and even though he did not seem to be hurt, he had been coughing slightly for a small span of time after the fight. The raven-haired teen froze slightly, Nathanial still babbling from the holster keeping him on the other's chest. The tension was building steeply.

"Nothing-"

"Luffy, we know you're not telling the truth." Nami huffed, arms crossed. She didn't even need to see that face he made whenever he lied to know it, anymore."He doesn't look hurt, but he _must_ have done something. Now what is it?"

The Captain shifted, pouting and taking the pale tot out of the carrying pouch and looking him in the face. He focused hard on the little one, thinking quietly, for once. He couldn't tell them, could he? He knew Nami would be pretty mad, and probably Chopper and Usopp, too. Who knew what Zoro and Sanji might think, on top of the rest of the crew! It wasn't something he could risk, because they might not let Lil' Hammer stay! Right as Luffy began to open his mouth, though…

"Bast'ad!"

* * *

The walloping Nami had given for 'teaching' an 'innocent' little boy such an unsavory word still stung, even with the swelling mostly gone. Luffy huffed, flopped over his hammock as the lumps throbbed on his skull. He kicked his legs back and forth, bored, tilting his head enough to check on the other bunks. The snores were ringing from everybody except him. Good. That meant he could go play with Lil' Hammer!

It would have been an odd sight for the crew to see their Captain moving so quietly and calmly about the deck of the Sunny. Even at the dead of night, someone who slept light enough could always tell if the rubber man was in his bunk or trying to sneak into the kitchens, again. Though it was still mostly unnoticed, the presence of the easily stirred child had softened his footfalls at almost every time of day.

Nathanial's sleeping arrangements varied from night to night. Sometimes he was in the sick bay, sometimes in the men's bunk room, and sometimes in the girl's. Tonight, though, was one of those nights where the lookout was also tasked with watching the toddler. Sometimes Lil' Hammer took more naps than usual and was more active at night, so someone had to make sure he didn't do anything that might get him or anyone else hurt.

Bouncing up to the crow's nest, Luffy was greeted with a soft nod from Robin and a squeak from the very awake child seated in her lap and keeping her from her usual reading.

"He is excited, tonight," the dark-haired young woman sighed not minding the babbling albino being plucked from her and settled into the rubber man's hold. "Keep him out of trouble." With her usual light smile, Nico Robin left the two alone to watch the seas around them for the next shift.

Once Luffy was sure she was gone to her own bed and did a quick once over the room for random eyes and ears, a large, giddy grin took over his features. Lil' Hammer seemed to read it, letting out another shriek of pride. The up-and-coming King of the Pirates seconded it with several loud fits of snickers and bouncing them both with ecstatic energy.

"I told you that you'd figure it out, again!" the Captain cheered, holding the tot up above his head and beaming. "That was awesome! You're going to be able to do even more stuff, soon! That'll be so cool!" Luffy set him back down in his lap, chattering out praise like the excited child he internally still was. Seconding the thoughts in his own broken and high-pitched speech was Nathanial, his mood so drastically different from anything Luffy had connected him to, before.

"Do you think you could do it, again?"

The room became very quiet, then, Luffy beaming curiously at the contemplating boy in his lap. After a moment, the albino nodded, a small grin breaking through. Very slowly, obviously thinking hard to stay focused, the young Nathanial curled his hands together against his chest before suddenly thrusting them out.

A small, wispy ball of smoke puffed out from the tot's hands, and gently dissipated out an open window, two pairs of eyes watching it like a hawk. They soon turned back to each other, bright ruby meeting the energetic black as grins broke out anew.

"Shishishishi! You're gonna be back to your normal self in no time!"


	13. Chapter 13

It was going to come out, sooner or later… Smoker frowned to himself as he occupied his time with a plastic container that he had been given. The lid had been lost, thus why the cook had parted with it, but it was still entertaining to his childish form to put things into it and then remove them. It helped develop motor skills, anyways, so he couldn't complain.

His powers were falling in line more and more, the Marine had realized. Every evening, at least when it was the watchful eyes of Straw Hat on him and he wasn't tried, the tot had begun to practice using them. The tiny balls of smoke got bigger and bigger, and even stayed together for a little while after being tossed away. Sooner or later, he would be able to control them, and then he may be able to turn into smoke, again, if he pushed himself hard enough. One thing was for sure, though. His luck might run out any minute as far as the brat making sure no one found out.

There had been close calls, already, with someone figuring out this little secret. They only seemed to be getting closer and closer to the truth, and it was already clear that Straw hat Luffy was no liar not matter how hard he tried. This was a mess of a powder keg just waiting to be set off.

A smattering of cannon fire from another ship startled the albino toddler out of his thoughts. They were under attack, again? He wondered absentmindedly if it was more pirates or finally some Marines. He looked up innocently at the sniper, Usopp, who was working on some odd looking plant seeds that he used for weapons. They were called… Pop Greens, is he remembered it right.

Usopp was already hurrying away, out the door to get up to the deck. Whining loudly at this exclusion from information, yet _again_, Smoker threw the plastic container at the playpen's walls. It simply bounced off, as usual and landed harmlessly on the floor. He could hear shouting, even from down here below deck, and it certainly seemed like something huge was going on. Puffing out his cheeks, the mini Marine clamored ungracefully to his feet and over to the side of the pen closest to the door.

"Up! Up up up!" he whined, having accepted, at least for now, his more childish means of communication. There were still no hands coming to take him out of here, making him more irate. The pale tot complained louder, trying to push and shake the walls. "Wan' up!"

That's when he felt it. He was going smoke…. He panicked, flailing a little bit with a loud squeal until he finally turned back to a completely solid form. Somehow, he had managed to get over the playpen's containing walls during his fussing, and after a minute to reorient himself, the child was tottering towards the door that was still cracked open before him. Maybe he could sneak up and at least hear some of what was going on… Determined, he began to clamor up the stairs, taking them one at a time due to his size. He had been practicing, just in case an opportunity presented itself for a more successful get-away.

The ship jerked suddenly, as if it had been hit or attached to something more rigid. Smoker had been far from prepared, and ended up tumbling just as he was getting to those last few steps. The tot flung himself forward, trying to save himself from falling all that long way back down, squeaking suddenly. His chin connected with the hard wood of the top of the next stair, and a loud wail soon followed as the pain registered. So much for being sneaky.

He heard many feet rushing over and many familiar voices chattering loudly above him as he was scooped up. Seeing the red hair through the water in his eyes, it was clearly Nami bouncing him in an attempt to sooth him. Her voice tittered th usual things one would tell a child to try and get them to calm down, but he could feel lithe fingers tilting his head to get a better look at his chin and sensed the slight tremble in them.

"Did you fall, sweetie? Shhh… You're okay… It's just a little bump!" the navigator crooned, rocking him and trying to get him to quiet down. "Let's keep you in the shade, here… Sh sh sh, you're okay!" Her voice was loudest of the ones close by, but he could hear other murmurs from some of the rest of the crew that could be heard over several shouts from what he assumed to be the attacking crew.

"How did he get out of the playpen?"

"He was in there when I left the room, and there didn't look to be any damage to it. There wasn't anything to use to climb out, either."

"See? I told you the brat was sneakier than you give him credit for."

"Everybody cut it out!" Luffy suddenly shouted, quieting everything accept the wails, including this other crew. How hard had he hit his chin?! With that little bit of curiosity he had, Smoker touched the spot that throbbed the worst, letting out a louder bawl when it made the forming bruise worse. "Little Hammer's hurt!" Even while still crying, the albino could hear the small murmurs of confusion from this attacking force, but he could also pick out the sound of a sword being sheathed.

"Who is this 'Little Hammer'?" a familiar, feminine voice questioned, tone serious, but only just masking curiosity and slight rage. "Is that a baby? Why do you have a baby on this ship!" There was a just as familiar choir of agreement from many many male voices. "Had the child over this instant, you pirates!"

"No way, Glasses Lady!"

This could not get any better or worse…. Smoker forced his crying to calm, trying to sneak a peek to confirm his guess off exactly who was trying to board the Straw Hat's ship. As he had feared, a young woman with dark colored hair and a sword at her hip stood firm looking directly at the little cluster hovering around him and giving shade and the rubber idiot standing in her way to it. The entire force of the G5 Marine base was right there, prepared to do battle. Oh, no…

Smoker whined, squirming a little in the protective hold Nami had on him. He could certainly not let this go on! Sure, Tashigi was stronger than she used to be, but they were not ready for this kind of fight! Especially not without him able to be a part of it!

"Shhh, little guy. It's okay," the red-head murmured, thinking hard. "Luffy, we can trust them to take care of Nathanial."

"No!" the pirate Captain insisted, crossing his arms and frowning deeply. "I promised Little Hammer that I'd help him, and I'm not gonna break that promise!" The brat was persistent, at least… It would be nice if it weren't with this, but as it was, this was only making this worse. Tashigi certainly wasn't going to concede, and neither was Luffy, which meant both groups were going to fight, and-!

He had to do something. He _had_ to do something to make this stop! Smoker groaned internally, knowing that there was only one thing to really male this end. But how to make it look like a convincing accident...? Well, he knew that several of his men had faces that could make a child cry, they were so frighteningly roughed up, so if he could get close enough to them, it should work. That is, if he could get down and get to them. Nami was not making this simple.

"Luffy, I need to take him back down. It's too sunny for him, out here, and he is _not_ watching any fights," the redhead huffed, turning and already heading for the door down into the ship's bowels. "Come on, sweetie."

"No!" Smoker whined, crossing his arms defiantly. "No down!"

"Sweetie, we're just going down to-!"

"No! No down! No no no!"

"Nathanial, no. We're going down." She was starting to sound a little irritated.

"No! Wan' up!" the mini Marine screeched back, feeling his temper rising. He could feel all eyes slowly being drawn to him, but he didn't really care and he continued to squirm and kick. "No down!"

"Nathanial!"

"No!"

Everything went rather quiet, then, but he didn't really care, the tantrum in full swing. He wasn't going back down! Not now! He had a job to do, and he was going to do it, no matter what she said! True, he didn't say as much, most of his complaints coming out as high-pitched shrieks and screams, but it made him feel better, at least. It was almost like he was still in complete control of the fit as opposed to letting his frustration run away with him.

He felt himself being passed to another set of hands part-way through this, but he didn't seem to care, fussing until that familiar laughter broke through. He sniffled and whined, finding himself in Luffy's hold, now, and in the sun.

"You're smoking!" the dark-haired brat grinned, bouncing him a little as the tantrum finally seemed to die down completely. Indeed, it seemed that way. Smoker saw the little curls of sooty air peeling off of his small hands and floating away. He sneezed, giving Straw Hat a knowing looking before letting out an angry little babble and sticking his fist in his mouth.

"Is that… _**Smoker?!"**_


End file.
